Future blog posts on fischarper.com!

Check out www.fischarper.com/blog for future blog posts!

Harps: Lever or Pedal?

collage made/edited with Pixlr and Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0

I recently received an inquiry about harps for a new student. Thought I'd share a modified version of my response.

There are different types of harps, but the most common in the U.S. are pedal harps and lever harps (even harps with no levers or pedals). Both pedal and pedal-free harps are harps and the musicians who play them should be respected as such. Lever harps are not necessarily beginner harps and can be used by beginners and professionals alike. There are professional harpers (lever harp players) and professional harpists. Some people can move levers very impressively! Whether or not a student plans eventually like to add the pedal harp to his/her repertoire, a lever harp will be beneficial and a good basis. Both types can play a variety of genres. Lever harps are also more affordable and generally more portable. :)

Some websites I'd recommend perusing for harps and harp information are Virginia Harp Center, Lyon and Healy, Salvi, Camac, Sylvia Woods Harp Center, Harp Spectrum, and Harp Column. These sites should be a good start. :)

Exploring the music that is played on the various models can be useful and fun. Some harpists/harpers you might like to check out are Jakez François, Louise Trotter, Greg Buchanan, Deborah Hensen-Conant, Park Stickney, and Susann McDonald, and, of course, Harpo Marx. :)

If you're a harpist/harper, do you prefer playing pedal or pedal-free harps?

-Barbara

Making Harp Lessons Exciting for Young Children, 2nd ed

click the image to find the PDF at Sylvia Woods Harp Center!

Are you ready for some super exciting news?! My mom's book, Making Harp Lessons Exciting for Young Children (2nd edition revised and edited by yours truly) is now available for purchase through the Sylvia Woods Harp Center! It's a PDF, so you can read it from your tablet or print it out. It's got lots of good ideas for teachers any instrument, if I do say so myself. My mom did a great job!

If you want to read this on a Kindle, check this tutorial on converting PDFs to Kindle format. I'm not sure how this will work, so it might have to be read as a PDF. Let me know if you try it!

Thank you for following! What's your favorite part of the book?

-Barbara

Still blogging at this spot!

Hi all,

I posted previously that I was planning to start blogging on my website, fischarper.com. However, I've decided to keep the blog here for the time being :)

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement! You might've already seen it posted on social media or my website.

Have a great day!

-Barbara

New Website!

I now have a website! Check out the blog section of fischarper.com, where I'm planning to post future blog entries. :)

DIY Halloween Treats For Students -- Roundup

Here are some cute and easy ideas for gifts to give your students for Halloween!


 
1. These cute magnetic spiders from Delia Creates would be easy to make.



2. A pinner (I don't think it was me) suggests redecorating Easter eggs to make these skull treat holders. Or you can go with Martha Stewart's project, where the image is pinned from.


3. Make candy corn bowling sets, like Angel over on Fleece Fun.


4. An easy idea from Pimp My Dinner (found via Polish the Stars, via CraftsBits & CraftGossip on Pinterest).


5. Here's a similar idea from The NY Melrose Family.


Do you give your students little gifts around various holidays? Would you like to?

-Barbara

P.S. You can check out my Halloween Pinterest board here.

*I try to link back to the source, but if I've posted an image and you want me to remove it, just let me know.*

Posts About Business and Dreams

Do you know where this picture is from? I really like it!

Want some inspiration? Check out the links below!

A Pair & A Spare was one of the earlier blogs that I started reading. See some advice from Geneva here.
I really enjoy A Beautiful Mess. Here are 3 inspiring posts from that lovely blog: 1, 2, 3.


You can see blog posts that I think are peachy-keen over on BlogLovin.

Have you seen any super-inspiring articles on the web? Do share!

-Barbara